The Mysterious Redhead Girl
by MentalistSweete
Summary: she just appears out of nowhere when the team is out of sorts... T to be safe.


**Author's note: I am so sorry I have not been working on this but… things happen. I hope to be submitting at a more regular basis.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Bruno Heller will not share.**

There is a case in a busy shopping mall. A total of seven kids had been taken from dressing rooms and the culprit had been discovered: Lester Markson, the shifty hot dog vendor. The team is making rounds when Rigsby suddenly spots him near the kids' playground equipment on the second floor. Jane makes a detour to the nacho stand. The rest of the team chases the man.

Jane shows the nacho merchant his badge and loosens the cheese squirter. He times it just right then steps out of the way, clearing the tables around. Lester's shoes squeal into the rail and he bounces himself off. The cheese drizzles and Jane makes it flow faster. The cheese covers the floor surrounding the cart. Cho and Lisbon rush into the rail but help each other toward the man. Lester sees the cheese too late and sloshes right in it. With not enough traction on his sneakers, he slips and crashes into all the tables put aside. Lisbon stops at the pretzel cart and catches her breath. She smiles to Jane for a split second then helps the wheezing Cho apprehend the criminal. Jane, of course, catches the small grin and thanks the friendly food court people.

Grace walks over and joins Jane. Cho hands Grace the key ring found on Lester's belt. Only five keys. One for the front door, the back door, a third floor storage closet, the safe room and a noise-cancelling room beneath the arcade. The last is where the duo discover the bound up and malnourished kids. Grace and Jane bring the kids to the lobby where families reunite. Grace smiles for real but Jane has his phony grin on. Grace is about to question him when he starts walking toward the parking lot. They meet up with Cho passing a bag and jewelry shop. Grace peers in and eyes a very luxurious pleather bag.

"I could buy it for you." Jane comments.

"What are you…" Grace stammers. "It, it costs $500!"

"Plus tax." Jane nods.

"I don't even wanna know where, I mean how you got that money. Have you been gambling again?"

"He doesn't have that much." Cho interrupts.

"Oh?" Jane looks at him.

"If you do," Cho continues. "Why are you working at CBI?"

The question falls on deaf ears. Jane frowns, staring at his feet. Cho gapes a bit at himself in the window's reflection, as if trying to figure how to correct himself. Grace awkwardly clears her throat then begins walking. The others wordlessly follow to the CBI van. All three sit in back with the felon then remain silent for the rest of the day. This causes worry to form in Lisbon's and Rigsby's minds. Once back at headquarters, Jane disappears up to his attic and Grace requests leave from Hightower. As Cho is packing to leave at the end of the day, Lisbon stops him.

"What happened at the mall today?"

"We caught the bad guy." He answers flatly, holding all his things and turning to leave.

"After that."

"Everyone left."

He leaves her behind and disappears down the stairs. The next morning moves really slowly. There are no cases. Jane sits on his couch, studiously writing in a little brown book. Rigsby shuffles through the fridge and Cho is reading a novel. Normal as ever on the outside; tension building elsewhere. Lisbon had filed her last case and struts into the bullpen with her coffee. Grace is online, looking through prices of knock-offs of knock-offs of the nice purse she spotted in the window. A red-haired Japanese-American girl in her late teens skips into the pen suddenly with a rather large shopping bag.

"GRACIE!" She all but screams.

Jane glares up at the girl. Rigsby is still in the kitchen and Cho pays her no mind. Grace and Teresa look up, however. The girl tosses the bag onto Grace's desk then bashfully runs off. Grace, slightly smirking, watches her leave then turns back to carrier before her. Her eyes widen as she pulls out an exact replica of the very purse she had been examining.

"Who was _that_?" Lisbon asks. "Ooh… that looks expensive."

"Five hundred dollars." Jane scowls.

Grace glances to the consultant in return for a simmering glare. Lisbon tries to ignore the exchange and instead admires the nearly anonymous gift. Jane groans and continues to write. Just as Grace finishes transferring her things from purse to purse, Hightower walks in.

"Okay, stay on call, since it is only one o'clock. But, you're all free to…" She looks down at the bag. Rigsby walks in and spots the bag the girls are going gaga over. "Go. Nice bag, Agent Van Pelt. Where did you ever find it?"

The junior agent blushes and begins to tell her superior's superior about the strange visitor when the exasperated Patrick Jane shoves past the two and hurriedly marches up the stairs to his special room. Lisbon runs after, but he already has it shut and locked.

"Jane?" She calls, worriedly. "What's wrong?"

She tries several more times and sits against the door for two hours in silence. Gaining no acknowledgement, she stands up and heads back downstairs.

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